B 1 Public Service Commission of West Virginia PO Box 812, Charleston, WV 25323 WIRELESS TOWER ACCESS ASSISTANCE FUND GRANT APPLICATION This application form and all grant application requirements are pursuant to General Order No. 187.29 and the Rules and Regulations Governing Emergency Telephone Service, Series 25, Title 150 Legislative Rule, Public Service Commission 150-25-1 to 150-25-13.6.a. Grant Request (Print or type; Use additional sheets and attachments as necessary) 1. The Project Sponsor is the Morgan County Cornmission, which shall, if a Grant is awarded, be designated as the Grantee. 2. Names of other entities, if any, joining the Project Sponsor in this Application: NONE 3. Main Overall Contact Person regarding this Application: Name David A. Michael Title Director, Morgan County OES/9 11 Phone 304-258-0327 Cellular 304-676-39 11 -Fax 304-258-0304 Email address [email protected] 4. Tower type: Guide Self supporting X Monopole 5. Tower height: 260 ft. 6. Tower location: Latitude: N39’3 1’23.7’, Longitude: W78O2629.6’ 7. Tower base elevation above average mean sea level: 9 15 ft. 8. Name of tower location: Morgan-Pawpaw-260 (Paw Paw) 1571 Paw Paw Road, Paw Paw, WV 25434 Morgan County WTAAF Application Page 1 of 11 I' Provide maps, photos and preliminary design drawings, prints, etc. ATTACHMENT A: Propagation map 1:500,000 wide area scale, Field strength level of portables 4 watt talk back coverage; ATTACHMENT B: Propagation map 1:500,000 wide area scale, Field strength level of mobiles 45 watt talk back coverage; ATTACHMENT C: Propagation map 1:250,000 zoom area scale, Field strength level of portables 4 watt talk back coverage; ATTACHMENT D: Propagation map 1:250,000 zoom area scale, Field strength level of mobiles 45 watt talk back coverage; ATTACHMENT E: Conceptual general survey plat of proposed tower site; ATTACHMENT F: Wide angle photographic mosaic of the proposed tower site; ATTACHMENT G Letter of commitment from World Airwaves for wireless broadband internet services to be installed onto the proposed tower; ATTACHMENT H: Budgetary Site Costs spreadsheet. NOTE: Engineering drawings are not attached, but will be created by Hemphill Corporation through a West Virginia State Purchasing Division Contract, and Terradon after performance of site survey work. 9. Will FAA approval be needed? Yes X , No If yes, provide details: Preliminary TOWAIR Determination Results indicate FAA approval and Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) are required. 10. Is this application for modification of an existing tower? Yes , No X If Yes, what is the towefs FCC registration number? 11. Is approval needed from the State Historical Preservation Office? Yes X , No 12. Is approval needed under the National Environmental Protection Act? Yes No uh-- L-p3 -4: -. ' 13. Is any zoning approval needed? Yes -7 No X If Yes, provide deta 14. Tower site property is: Owned -7 Leased 3 15. How soon after a grant is received will construction begin? Immediately for remaining site prep pending weather, Grant Award Noti&$ati@ ;i7 Date + 60 days for tower construction pending contractor schedules and m&ri& dii lead times. [Rule 13.2.a.81 Morgan County WTAAF Application Page 2 of 11 16. How long will it take to complete the Project? 120 days [Rule 13.2.a.81 17. a. Do the Project Sponsor and all Co-Applicants agree to adopt the State Interoperative Radio Tower Specifications for the Project? Yes X , No b. Will the Project use a State Interoperative Radio'hackage desigd'for the proposedtower? Yes X ,No If No, why not? 18. Does the Project Sponsor (County) agree to require the contractor(s) to provide a performance bond(s) and a payment bond(s) covering completion of the Project and to submit copies of the bond(s) to the TAAFRC upon receipt? Yes X ,No Morgan County WTAAF Application Page 3 of 11 I 1 PLEASE ATTACH TO YOUR APPLICATION, RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 19. How will public health and safety benefit from completion of the Project? [Rule 13.2.a.l.l Morgan County public health and safety will greatly benefit with communications capabilities enhancements that include connectivity to the WVIRP, as well as regional connectivity through legacy systems to give immediate access to local, regional, and state agencies including local health departments, hospitals, Emergency Operations Centers, State and local law enforcement agencies, Medical Command, and other agencies that would be instrumental during a catastrophic event such as a flu pandemic or westward migration from the National Capital Region (NCR), as well as direct communications with incoming resources such as the Regional Response Teams (RRTs), swift water rescue teams (that are usually staged in Paw Paw during tropical storm events), National Guard LNOs, etc. Morgan, Hampshire, and Allegany County, Maryland will gain immediate access to critical information sharing that is now not possible due to the lack of this piece of critical infrastructure. Other entities such as state agencies of West Virginia and Maryland, C&O National Park personnel, and even Amtrak personnel or travelers can also utilize this site. The Paw Paw site will also provide fill in redundancy for public health and safety agencies in parts of Morgan and Hampshire Counties in the event of a catastrophic site failure at the existing Cacapon or Romney Bald Hill Mountain sites in Hampshire County. The area to be served by this new tower site has cellular service so poor (absolutely no service!) that I cannot acquire connections even utilizing my vehicle’s hands free booster kit that increases my transmitting wattage to 3 watts, and with a high gain external antenna, boosts the ERP even further! 20. Are there any other state or regional planning goals that the Project will help accomplish? Provide details. Of special importance is information regarding how the Project will fit in with State radio/telecommunications interoperability goals. [Rule 13.2.a.71 The Morgan County Paw Paw site project will facilitate opportunities for Morgan and Hampshire Counties to utilize the WVIRP system as their primary communications system. In the short term, key agencies such as Morgan and Hampshire County Emergency Management will provide interconnectivity by utilizing WVIRP radios to relay critical information between agencies that currently have only VHF high band and low band legacy systems. In the long Morgan County WTAAF Application Page 4 of 11 term, having local WIRP RF capability will promote the migration of county communications systems to the State system. As more entities become familiar with the system, the easier it will be for jurisdictions to allocate funds for the changeover, with the ultimate goal of all Morgan County and surrounding entities migrating to the system. The Paw Paw site will provide vital infrastructure for communications that will serve multiple counties in West Virginia including Morgan and Hampshire Counties, and Allegany County, Maryland that exchanges frequent mutual aid services with Morgan and Hampshire Counties. This site will also provide support for the Quad State Initiative that includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. The Paw Paw site will also provide extended range communications along Interstate 68 in Maryland from Hancock to at least Flintstone, filling in westward facing interstate slopes shadowed from the Cacapon Mountain ‘Nigh Point’site. The fill in coverage range from this site is also important for connection of incoming mutual aid resources towards the eastern panhandle along Interstate 68 with local units at the incident scene(s) to maximize coordination at the earliest possible times. Incoming mutual aid resources might need diversion to other incident scenes, and would be better coordinated with the improved coverage patterns. This same principle applies to Eastern Panhandle units responding westward to provide mutual aid assistance to other parts of West Virginia, or the Quad State Region. The Paw Paw site tower will immediately provide a mounting platform for 91 1 emergency communications equipment to have reliable radio signals in the Town of Paw Paw where current communications have serious coverage problems at the low elevation beside the Potomac River. Although no reliable cellular coverage is available in western Morgan County, several cellular providers have verbally expressed interest in placing their services onto a tall tower near Paw Paw, but cannot justify the return on their investment when they include the tower structure and site infrastructure related costs. This part of Morgan County desperately needs cellular service. In addition to 91 1 and cellular services, this tower site would also provide wireless broadband internet service into the very rural area (see attached letter of commitment from World Airwaves). WIRP coverage enhancements would occur in western Morgan County and the northern portion of Hampshire County. Morgan County coverage would radically improve in the Town of Paw Paw, the western facing terrain slopes of Purslane, Sidling Hill, and Spring Gap Mountains, and along the mainline CSX Railroad tracks that parallel the Potomac River. We respond to numerous emergency incidents in these areas. These areas will also experience terrain shadowing of Morgan County WTAAF Application Page 5 of 11 P I coverage from the Cacapon Mountain ‘High Point’ site. Hampshire County coverage will improve in their shadowed areas along the northern portions of their county. The Paw Paw site could fill in those coverage problem areas, perhaps all the way into the Green Spring and Springfield areas. It will also help both Morgan and Hampshire Counties to eliminate enough coverage dead spots (primarily for portables) to facilitate both counties using the WVIRP system as the primary communications system, and both counties on the same system will enhance interoperability communications during mutual aid incidents. Paw Paw fire and EMS is first due into northeastern Hampshire County.